Speech of Mr. Cameron, M.P., on Indian administration in the North-West: Ottawa, April 15th, 1886

onse of Commons Debates

FOURTH SESSION, FIFTH PARLIAMENT.--49 VIC.

SPEECH OF MR. CAMERON, MP,,
ON

INDIAN ADMINISTRATION IN THE NORTH-WEST.

OTTAWA, APRIL 151H,

Mr. CAMERON (Huron). I[ regret very much that the
First Minis‘er is not in his place to-night, I regret the occa.
sion of his.absence and I regret the fact of his absence,
because I propose for a short time to digcuss the adminis-
tration of the Department over which the First Minister
pad and T-always prefer discussing a question of that

ind in the presence ofihe head of the Department. The
First Minister, in his report for the year 1885, recently sub-
mitted to Parliament, states :

“ That the Indians who revolted had no reason for so doing, in so far
ag their treatment was concerned, is ant established by the con-

‘current testimony of all those connected with the management of the
Indians in the North-West Territories.

I say that no statement could be further from the fact, and no
allegation could be more at variance with the reports of the
Department of Indian Affairs, But, even if that statement
were true, it would not in any sense relieve the Depart-
ment from the responsibility for the uneasy, dissatisfied
and discontented state of the Indians, and for their ulti-
mate outbreak in open revolt against the sovereign power
of this Dominion. The officials of the Department are by
no means reliable witnesses. ‘Those who offended against the
Indian; those who sinned against the Indian; those who
robbed and cheated and swindled the Indian, as I shall
establish before I sit down, and those who permitted the
Indian of the North West Territories to be frozen to death
and starved ‘to death, are not vey reliable witnesses,
are very unlikely to disclose their own misconduct and to
admit their own criminality. The hon, gentleman ought
to have fortified the statement he made in the report of his
Department as to the conduct of the officials of that De-
partment and the administration of Indian affairs b

other and more reliable testimony than that of the officials
incriminated. I shall, in discussing this question, pursue a
different course. I shall establish the charges that I pro-
pose to make against’this Government and the officials
appointed by this Government by the reports of the hon-
est, the few honest men that are connected with that ser-
vice in the North-West, and by a mass of independent
testimony that in my judgment is simply startling.
The reports of the Department for the last four or five
years are eloquent with statements of wrongs done to
the Indian, of promises broken, of violated treaties made
with the Indian, of gross injustice done to the Indian, of
shameful official misconduct on the part of those appointed
to administer Indian affairs in th: North-West, of lying,
petrh 4 and «robbing the Indian; and [ propose to
establizh these propositions in their order by extracts from
the reports of the Depariment and by the testimony of
individuals thoroughly conversant with the situation of

1886,

affairs in the North-West Territories, Let me then, first,
deal with the kind of officials which this Government placed
over the untamed, uneducated, uncivilised, un-christianised
wards of the nation with whom this country was bound to
deal honestly and fuirly, because Canada induced the Indians
of the North-West to surrender their possessory rights to
what is practically an empire for the merest pittance,
Writers upon the Indian question, and especially such writers
as the authoress of ‘ One hundred years of dishonor,” speak
of the Indians as easily managed, peacable, quiet, inoffen-
sive, docile, so long as he is fairly and honestly treated ;
but as faithless, turbulent, and rebellious when he is injured,
when he is deceived, when he is wronged, when he
is defrauded. In order to retain the confidence of the Indian,
in order to educate, to elevate, to civilise-and to christianise
the Indians, it was of the first contequence that men of char-
acter, men of honesty, men of truthfulness, men of high
moral standing, should have been selected to preside
over and administer Indian affairs in the North-West Ter-
ritories. I regret to say that, in so far as I have been able
to gather the facts, such men have not been selected. Some
of the men selected by the Government of this Dominion from
the swarm of camp followers that usually surround this
Administration, were men who were utterly unfit for the
positions they were csiled upon to fill. Men who were unfit
for positions in the public service in the older Provinces
of the Dominion, were shipped off to Manitoba and the
North-West Territories, and given charge over the Indians
there, men who have proved themselves to be utterly
unfit for their positions, who have proved themselves to be
dishonest, careless, immoral. I say, Sir, that the conduct of
the officials of the North-West Territories, more than any-
thing else, created dissatisfaction and discontent among the
Indians; [ say that the misconduct and the mismanagement
of the Administration in connection with the Indian affairs
in the North-West Territories, as much as anything else, pro-
duced uneasiness, dissatisfaction and discontent among the
Indians, which ultimately broke out into open rebellion.
I charge, Mr. Speaker, that many of the officials appointed
by this Administration, from Commissioner Dewdney down
to the lowest official in the service of this Government in
the North-West Territories, are wholly unfit to discharge
the important duties that devolve upon them, and that
these men ought to have been dismissed from their positions
by this Government many, many years ago. The Indians,
Sir, have no faith in Commissioner Dewdney, they have
faith in but few of the officials in the No th-West Territor-
ies, but none in Commissioner Dewdney, they know him
too well, they have been deceived by him to often, He
has been. charged, and correctly charged, with being dom-

inecring, arrogant, tyrannical, unfair, untruthful in his deal-
ings with the Indians. With such a commissioner, and
with a similar class of officials, we could expect nothing
else than uneasiness, dissatisfaction, discontent, and
ultimately rebellion in the North-West Territories. The
charges I have made against the Administration and the
officials of the Admitistration in the North-West Terri-
tories, I propose to establish out of the blue books submit-
ted to Parliament and by the testimony of independent
men, and of journals supporting this Administration. The
Winnipeg Times, an organ of hou. geutlemen opposite, a
a Conservative paper, published in the city of Winnipeg,
thus describes Lieutenant-Governor Dewdney :

“ But the dross of gold is not Mr. Dewdney’s god. He is eminently a
philanthropist. His delight is to advance the interests of the savage
and promote the welfare of the more wretched white man under his
sceptre. For example, when Long Lodge, chief of the Assiniboines, who
were oping last summer near Indian Head, complained that ths con-
tractor’s bacon, costing the Canadian taxpayers nineteen cents per
pound, was not suitable to the Indian palate, the Indians feeding always
on buffalo meat; when Long Lodge offered to accept half a pound of
steer beef, costing a York shilling a pound dead weight, in place of a
pone of bacon costing nineteen cents ; when. Long Lodge said. the.

acon was “ hurting his Heep because it was not their food,” Mr.
Dewdney said ‘‘ the [Indians should eat the bacon or die, and be d——d to
them.” " This was not said in haste, but at his honor’s leisure. Hy did
not say it because his friend the contractor, who happened to bein a
land syndicate with him, had 90,C00 pounds of that bacon to dispoze of,
but because he wished to indoctrinate the savage with the tastes of the
average white man. Mr. Dewdney, let Piapot witness, is the Indians
friend. To the white man also he sets a noble example. He teaches »
the raw settler a new-code of morals. He shows him by preceptiand,
example that in these degenerated days it is not necessary for a man
holding a trust not to abuse it. He illustrates in his own walk and life
the modern principles that every man should fight: tor his owa wallet.
He is, in this great country, the mot signal exemplar. of; the science of
how to get along regardless of the means or methoijs of. locomotion.
Mr Dewdney, therefore, deserves well at our hands and at the hands of the
Indians of these Territories. It would hardly be appropriate to‘ present:
him with a homestead, for he has. several, also preemptiuns in abund-:'
ance. Money would also be out of place, inasmuch as while Sir
Leonard has a surplus and Sir John remains in power, he will not want.
Could anything be more appropriate than to Reese him- with a petition
to leave, to get out, to go elsewhere and teach other Indians and other
white men the ethics of grab, greed and shamelesgness which he ‘has

introduced here?”
That extract, Sir, is from a, paper published in the interests
of the Government, and was published three years ago, and
up to this hour this Indian Commissioner, so described by
an organ of the Government, still retains his place as Com-
mis-ione: of Indian Affairs in the North-West Territories,
The Ottawa Sun, another paper not unfriendly to this
Administration, speaking of the officials in the North-West,
SAYS:

‘The country has been cursed with an unscrupuloug and tyrannical
officialdom, and to this cause may be traced the origin of the present
trouble. Officials were selected purely from: political reasons, without
regard to fitaess, or, in many cases, character: And the. last thing to
be considered has been ihe wishes or interests of the, settlers, who have ;
no rr presentative in Parliament, and no recourse against the tyranny, of
these officials. Almost every official made it his business to' get rich by”

apeoolniilig in the lands which the interests of the country’ required |:
8

culd be administered in the interest of the acta setfler;. Land agents: ;
have been in partnership with claim-jampers, and used, their advantages; ,
to rub honest settlers by treacherous technicalitids for thé berefi "ort Cm
land sharks. Junius tells us something about publi¢‘mend who suddenly! !
became rich, which may ‘be properly. applied to iWdentandmGararhon:
ak That gentleman, when he came to Ottawa, in. 1872,, was.
ractically a pauper. To-day he is a wealthy man. He did not eave |
is wealth out of his salary. When he personally ‘drove: off the settlérs!
from the county of Kent, who had gone in under very great difficultiea; |
and ob arpa erpensgiat a trying. season of the year, built jhoushayang {
started to break land for cultivation—when. he insulted men, who went ,
in mistaken confidence to him for protection against the outrage perpets™
rated by Major Bell—he was at the) time) it is alleged, in receipt (of a
present of $10,000 in the stuck of the Bell Farming Uompany.’”

Now, you: must bear in mind, Mr. Speaker, ‘that,.this Com-'
missioter Dewdney,'so described by two organs.of the.Gov-.
ernment, is the official who has charge of the, [Indians in-the.:
North-West Territory, and has had’ charge of them for a:
series of years, The attention of the Government has. been |
dvawn to the conduct of this man, to. the actions,of. this ,
man, yet up to this hour the first step) has not, been taken
to remedy the wrong that is alle to have. been. per:
petrated by him, The Farmers’ Union, 4 body of respeet-

able men in the North-West, thus speaks of the character
of the officials this Administration sent to the North-West
to administer Indian affairs in that region :

‘We point with a sorrowful pride to the fact that whilst we are try-
ing to secure consideration and justice our sons.and brothers have left
their farms to grow to weeds while they are away in the North-West
Territory, risking and laying down their lives like lcyal sons of Oanada
to defend the supremacy ef -he flag of our forefathers from the contam-
inating touch of half-breeds and savages driven to despair by mis-
poke and by the acts of incompetent and dishonest Goverament
officials ”

Mr. Jackson, a member of the North-West Council, a life-
long Conservative, a man who boasts that he has been an
unswerving and faithful supporter of the First Minister of
this Dominion for a period of twenty-five ycars, in a speech
delivered by him at Qu’Appelle in January last, thus speaks
of Lieutenant-Governor Dewdney and the offic'als of the
North-West Territory :

“ Everything is quiet, there is no danger. I say: that if the Indian
agents were notin a position then to tell what was the state of the
Indian mind at that time, then they were unfit for the position they
held; and a stronger argument that the chief of the Department was
not fitted for his post I do not want than that he allowed his Indian
agents to persuade him that everyth'ng was peaceable and quiet, while
the whole thing was aseetLing volcano, ready to burst forth at any
moment, and Mr. Dewdney was the only innocent man in the country.
That shows that things in the Indian Department are rotten to the core,
and should be weeded out. (Hear, hear.) Had he exercised ‘his proper
functions, and done what was expected of him, the Government, would |
have been induced, because of the gravity of the situation, tu deal with
the matter, and thus have averted this great rebellion He failed to do
that; and if the Government care anything at all for the feelings of the
people of this country, they will sweep away that whichis rotten ant
despicable, and place aa, honest man, who will fulfil his duties,.in the:
position of Lieutenant-Governor. (Cheers.) Ihave shown you that he had
neglected his duties, and prostituted his position: as Indian. Commis
sioner; that he has allowed eople to starve to death. I can show you
that he said at. Qu’Appelle Staton that the In lians of the north might .
give trouble, but that he felt sure the Indians of Treaty No 4 would
give no trouble to the Government. . If that is the fact, and if he allowed .
men, women and children to go to their death without a warning, that
man was accessory, before the fact, (Loud cheers) Gextlemen,, these
are all facts. At the Session of Parliament, I think 1882-83, or 1883-84,
when Sir John Maddonald; whom | have followed fur twenty-five years,
and who has: always found’ me an active supporter, ce up in his:place as
Premier’ of the Dominion, and said that Mr. Dewdney was one of, the
best.appointments he ever made, I confess it completely knocked the
wind out of me. (Laughter.)”

I do not wonder‘that it knocked the wind out:of this.mem-
ber of the: North-West Council. The'extracts I haveread from
the organs: of the: Government, and. the revelations I shall
make before I resume my seat, together with the statement
made by the First! Minister with respect to Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor Dewdney, will prove enough to knock the wind out of
anyone. The Mail newspaper of 2nd February, 1836, re-

orts an interview: which the correspondent of that. paper.
brad with a person:by the name.of Mr. James Grier, who:

! lives:in the neighborhood of Old Man’s: River, and wasia

former resident .of the county of Grey and had. been. reeve:
of the’ township. in which he resided for 15 years, Mr. James
Grier says,-on this subject: |

rievance in the North-West, is the importation of
carpet-baggers to fill official’ positions. This-is not, however, so‘seri-'
ously felt now ag it’has been. But om all sides but.one opinion is
expressed—that the North,West..now) has, men canal of ling. the.
offices, and that they should be chosen, all other,things being equal, for

“ Another great

, the vacancies that octur.”

L.t me, now, give the opinion of clergymen:

“ at the Presbytery meeting at Brandon, Manitoba, Rev./Mr. epervancre
who. Spent many years among: the Indiang: about; Battleford, contended’
that ‘ Indian,.uprising:was in a. great measnre.due to the character of
the instructors and agents appointed by the Government. If the
Governmient officials had beet the right kind of ‘men, the uprising would
never have taken place... In many -cases their treatmentiof the iniiana
was calculated to, havea most. injurious effect—some .of them, treatin
the Indians like dogs—never speaking to them without an oath, and
paying no regard wh:tever to their word.’ Therev. gentleman ‘remarked
that it woold. spoil good Indians to make them like somevof the Indian,
Department officials, who are over them,.and supposed to be civilising
them, Mr. Cameron's statements were confirmed by Rev. Messrs. Robert-
son, Plett, and other Iadian missionaries, who maintained that theIndian
revolt was in a great measure due to the character of the Government
officials sent amongst them. ’’

I say that is an extraordinary condition of affairs. . Those
people are on the spot and know whereof iy speak, and
so knowing whereof they speak, they so described the
officials sent by this Government to administer Indian
affairs in the North-West. Mr. McDougall, one of ‘the
Methodist: missionaries, -who has devoted his: life to the
service of elevating, educating, civilising and ‘christianising
the Indians, thus speaks of the officials :

“Mr. McDougall points out the great difficulty of governing from
Ottawa, and says that ‘laws were enacted which could Foteentoroed 4
furthermore ‘simply unfit men were ‘appointed ‘to office ‘without any
knowledge of the nature of the work expected of them; the Indians and
the country, and Government having to tun the risk in the meanwhile of
being experimented upon.’”

Hon. Lawrence Clarke, at one time a member of the
North-West Council thus.speaks of the class of men who
were sent by this Government to administer Indian affairs :

“‘ Brutal ruffiins were appointed as farm instructors over the Indians,
who maltreated the poor people in the most brutal manner, answerin
them with kicks and blows, accompanied with showers of profanity aie
disgusting epithets; of the farm instructors killed by the Indians two
were universally known to be brutal wretches such as I have men-

tioned, and the priests. lost their lives in attempting to.save them from
the pent-up wrath of the savages.”

Mr. MITCHELL. Whose report is that ?

Mr. CAMBRON (Huron). That of the Hon. Lawrence
Clarke, formerly a member of the North-West Council. He
proceeds:

‘‘ Let a commissioner, be appointed or a Committe of Parliament, and
I pledge myself to show to the people of this Dominion such 4 picture of
the facts as will make them wonder how it is that rebellion did not
break out years ago. .Had not the Indians been restrained by the priests
and ministers, the fatm instructors and othst paid politicians’ appointed
over them, would have been killed long ago.’
Archbishop Taché, in his manifesto, speaking of the
Indian troubles, ‘says:

‘(Phere were some well qualifisd men, butwimportant posts were
assigned to men totally unqualited for the position, while other persons
perfectly apt haye been Giptaistodt, OF left. aside, because ten, fifteen, or
twenty years before they were political opponents.”

Mr. Jackson, in his speech at Qu’Appelle, from which I have
just quoted, said :

A white mam never believes.in him. The Indian'thinks of him aga man
who does not tell the truth to-day, but might to-morrow; but that to-
morrow never comes. . (Laughter.)’’

The Winnipeg. Times, speaking of Lientenant-Governor
Dewdney, said :

‘ For the first:timevin:the history of the British nation the representa-

tive of the: Queen is:known to the savage asa liar.”
Such are the opinions of the friends of hon. gentlemen
opposite; such are the ‘opinions of the press supporting
hon. ‘gentlemen opposite, as to the character of the officials
appointed by this Government to administer Indian affairs
in the NorthWest, from Lieutenant-Governor. Dewdney
down to the farm instructors.appointed: by this Administra-
tion. [say it is a marvel to me, not that the Indians took
up arms against the sovereign power of this country, but
the mar 7el to me is that long years ago the Indians did not
protest in the only way known to them against the miscon-
duct, maladministration, incapacity and culpable neglect of
this Administration.. I go still further. I say the Govern-
ment and tho officials appeinted by this Government have
not only broken faith with tho Indians, but many of the
officials in the No:th-West Te:ritories have: debased and
degraded the Indian character, until now, Sir, there is noth-
ing left bat the'bare memory of what was once the noblo
red man of the plains. An organ of the Government, three
years ago, called public attention to the fact that one of the
agents of this Administration was living on a reserve,
beneath the shadow. of the Methodist mission, in opem
adultery with two young squaws. The Government: were
aware of it, bat the Government never moved, never
enquired, never investigated, and. upto this hour, this
unworthy representative of Ottawa officialdom: adminis-

8

ters Indian affairs in that particular locality. A young
Englishman, unfit to do ‘anything in his native coun-
try, was shipped off to Canada, consigned to the care of
the First Minister of this Dominion. 'He was provided for
inthe Indian service of the North-West Territories, and he
has been living.there for three or four years revelling in
the'sensual enjoymonts of a western «harem, plentifully
supplied with select cullings from the western prairie
flowers. We send missionaries of the Qross to the North-
West to educate and elevate, to civilise and christianise
the Indians. We send missionaries, official missionaries, to
the North-West Territories to humiliate, to lower, to deere
and debase the virgin daughters of the wards of the
nation, and yet we find people papreeaing their surprise and
astonishment that the Indians do not take kindly to the
ways of modern civilisation, and that after the. munificent
donations which Parliament votes every year to feed, clothe
and keep in comfort the wild Indians ofthe plains, they are
still dissatisfied, still discontented, still rebellious. I say again
that to my-mind:the marvel is that. years ago the Indians
did ‘not use the tomahawk and scalping knife and clean
out of the North-West Territories the lazy, indolent, incom-
petent and immoral class of officials who have been
appointed by this Administration to administer Indian
affairs in the North-West Territories. The statements I
make may be considered somewhat extravagant, but
I shall prove every one of them before I resume my seat by
official: documents submitted by this Government to this
Parliament, and a mass of independent testimony that, to
my mind, is simply overwhelming. If you refer to one of the
reports of one of the Departments brought down last year,

ou will find that 45 per. cent of one class of officials in the

orth-West: were under medical treatment for a peculiar
kind of disease in one year. That you will admit, is an ex-
traordinary showing for a classof men paid by the people of
this country to control, manage and set an example to the
Indians of the North-West Territories. Sir, that report
speaks in unmistakable terms of the condition of
thou guardians of public peace and public morals.
At one station it points out that there were fifty-eight
cases in one year; at another station there were forty-
seven cases under medical treatment in ten months; ata
third ‘station there were in eleven months seventy-four
cases under medical treatment; at a fourth station in 1884
there were sixty cases under medical treatment. In a
division of the force in eleven months there. .were twenty-
one cases, and the aggregate shows that there were at
least 45 per cent. of this class of officials in the North-
West Territories who were. suffering from this class of
disease. The Mail newspaper, to which I suppose hon.
gentlemen will not object .as a witness in this part of the
diseussion—the Mail newspaper..of the 30th of January,
1886, publishes an interview with one of the missionaries
employed by. one of the leading churches of the Dominion,
to civiliseand christianise the Iniians,, That. missionary
said : :

“But what we wantin.our reserves are married men asemployees, and
a few-hundreddolars expended.in putting up-houses for them would pay
inthe end. ‘And; let'me say, get Oliristian men: thank God there are
such to be found j.and don’t employ a:man because some influential man
down east wants to get a situation for him.» Again, put a stop to white
men living with Indian women unless they are lawfully married to them.
Where ate'the young girls of 13 to 16° that. have been partly taught in
ourschools; and others before them? Sold to white men for from $10
t6 $201 Where are:their children? | Running about the reserves wear-
ing raga! Where are the: women. themselves? They are prostitutes
hanging around*the towns. Stop the sale of Indian girls to white men
and another greatestep is taken.”
Now,-Sir, L.say that every calm, thoughtful, thinking man
wilk‘conclude 'that:this is an extraordinary condition of
affairs, “This missionary tells us that the very children from
the mission schools are absorbed into this population for the
vilest' and most unholy: purposes. Mr. McDougall, who is
the missionary to whom I have alluded, inthe same inter-

4

view whon asked to explain the true condition of affairs,
said:

‘(He urges a change, and the Indians ge a fair chance; he wants
the Government's ladian policy--to make the Indian a responsible
citizen—carried out in its true spirit. Tv do this he asks for employees
of the Indian Department who will be true to their country if not to
their God, who will refrain from licentiousness, blasphemy, drunkenness
and laziness, who will have force of character enough to comman
general respect, and who will by precept and example teach the Indians
industry, thrift and obedience to the law.”’

The Mail newspaper of the 2nd of February, 1886, publishes
an interview with Mr. James Grier, to whom I have already
alluded, in which the following occurs :-—

“ Then the conversation drifted back to the Indians, and I asked him

if he knew of any frauds that had been committed on them. He
answered: ‘I know any amount of corruption exists in the Indian
Department, and I know that many of the officials have one squaw or
two. This is a matter of public notoriety.’ ”’
I ask you, after having heard this evidence, whether I am
not amply justified in the charge 1 have made against this
Government, that they ty ani to positions of public
trust in the North-West Territories, from among their
army of carpet-baggers and camp followers, some of the
most unfit men that ever occupied public positions. I say
this condition of affairs is well known to the Government,
and has been well known to the Government for a number
of years I say that it is a scandalous condition of affairs
to exist in any country, and a disgrace to the Government
that would tolerate it for one hour. I say that they have
not only been guilty of sending this class of people to the
North-West Territories, but they have been guilty of break-
ing faith with the Indians, The solemn covenants entered
into with the Indians have been shamefully, openly, per-
sistently and systematically broken y this Government,
The confidence which the Indian usually has in the Sover-
eign of this Dominion, has been shaken. He can no longer
rely on the faith of the Crown, and the result has been a
rebellion in the North-West Territories, in which the Indians
took no unimportant part, and the result is that to-day
I solemnly believe, from the testimony that comes from
the North-West, that this Dominion is standing on the
brink of a volcano, which may burst forth at any moment.
The evidence upon this point of broken faith, violated
treaties, unfulfilled obligations is so clear that it is almost
unnecessary to discuss it. But in order that the matter
may be put beyond peradventure, I propose to establish it
out of the blue-books submitted to this Parliament during
the last four or five years; I propose to prove it by the
testimony of the organs and friends of hon. gentlemen
opposite. The Mail newspaper of the 13th January, 1886,
publishes another interview with the Rev. Mr. McDougall,
the missionary from the Methodist Church to the Stoney
Indians near Calgary. In that interview Mr. McDougall
says:

“ The * Government is false to the treaty, the white men have lied to
us, we are deceived,’ the Indians said, and it required the services of
loyal old-timers to point out to them why, through unavoidable delays,
lack of speedy transport, &c., the obligations of the Government were
sometimes unfulfilled. But Mr. McDougall says: ‘ We could not find,
nor did we try to find, any excuse for the promises made but not ful-
filled, for the cut-throat policy often exhibited and sometimes enf reed
by officials of the Indian Department, for the shameful and immoral
Jives of many of the employees of the same. Some of these were a dis-
grace to the lowest barbarism, let alone civilisation. Nor how could
we, when earnestly trying to teach Indians habits of industry and
thrift, be expected to excuse the laz ness and incompetency of many sent
into the country to teach the wards of the Government those lessons we
have been working for them to acquire forso many years. Moreover, could
we be blamed when we felt strongly that something was wrong in the
Mbt which allowed such men in its branch of the service. The incon-

iatency has oftentimes py iceres to us very glaring when we looked at
a department claiming to have a certain object in view, set aside by the
country at large, whose servant it is, to attain this object, and yet
within its own grasp and power doing those thiags and adopting those
methods which are defeating their object.’ ”’

The Rev. Father Scollen, a missionary
four years among the Indians of the
tories, and now, 0: at a'l cyents recently,

riest for twenty-
orth: West Terri-
in the service of

this Administration, speaks as “follows of the treatment of
the Indians by the Government :— peg

« That the half-breed rising had not necessarily been the cause of the
Indian rising, from the fact that the Indian; had been pre jared to rise
long before the balf-breeds had made any movement atall. They had
been prepared to take the firat ORpOrnnty no matter whatit was If
any other parties had got into trouble with the Government or caused
the Government trouble, the Indians would have taken advantage of
that just as they did the half-breed rising — They Kad known, and they
know to-day that they could not fight the white man, hence they had
been watching an opportunity. One cause for. dissatisfaction among
the Indians had been the fact that the treaties had not been carried out
on the part of the Government agents.”
Such is the testimony of two men whose evidence cannot
be controverted in this Parliament or elsewhere. I go
farther. I say that the reports of the Dopartment establish
still more clearly that broken promises and violated treaties
have characterised the dealings of the Government with the
Indians for a long number of years. A. McKay, an Indian
agent at Grand Rapids, in his report states that the inspec-
tor of Indian agencies promised to supply them with all
they might require, and that they were urged by that
gentleman to make. their demands on the Department for
the same, which they did, but they were not complicd
with. Mr. McColl, inspector of Indian. agencies in the
North-West, writing of the Swan Lake bands, says that
waggons were promised them, and that he is apprehensive
of serious consequences unless their claims are recognised,
Mr. McDonald, an Indian agent under Treaty No. 4, pub-
lishes a letter from Poundmaker, in which Poundmaker
uses the following language .— aes.

‘(It is Poundmaker who takes the liberty of. sending you a few lines.
We entreat Your Honor to send him the grist mill with horse-power you
kindly presented him at Cypress. We expected it last summer, but in
vain. f
These had been promised to the Indian chief by Commis-
sioner Dewdney, twelve months before this complaint was
made; but up to that hour the pledges of the Crown, made
by Commissioner Dewdney, had not been fulfilled. Pound-
maker says farther: ;

‘Let me have the 22 oxen you promised for my band.”

J. McRae, an Indian agent at Carleton, speaking of the
Okenasis band—and Mr, Tompkiis corroborates the state-
ment—says that Inspector Wadsworth promised him a large
lumber waggon last fall, but he did not get it. G, McPherson,
Indian agent, says : see

“The clothing for the chiefs and councillors was good, except the
hina and shirts, which were inferior nd worn out in three or four
Now, I ask you, Mr. Speaker, is not that an extraordinary
condition of affairs? If you refer to the accounts of the
contractors for supplies to the Indians, you will find that
they were bound to supply articles of a reasonably fair
quality. Instead of so ee they supplied the Indian
cbiefs and the Indian councillors with an article that lasted
them but three days; and yet we are surprised that. the
Indians are dissatisfied and discontented, and that they have
bioken out into revolt, as they may break out into revolt
again. J. W. Herchmer, Indian agent, speaking of the
Salteaux band under South Quill, says:

having failed in their neighborhood,
supplies,

the band have been

Hunting
and are now

obliged to sell most of their horses to buy
miserably poor.’’

Miserably poor! With the munifieent donation voted by
Parliament, and expended last year, of some $1,109,000.
Miserably poor! Aud why? Because this Government .
negligently and carelessly permit their contractors to supply
these Indians with an article of wearing apparel that lasts
the Indians only three days. A. McKay, Indian agent, says
of the Indians on Che-ma-wha win reserve: .

“The harrows and ploughs were lying partly buried in mud and

weeds in different places. Some of them have never been used or put
together yet, and are spoiling for want of care.’” 5;

6

We have an army of officials in the North-West; we have
Indian agents, sub-Indian agents, farm instructors, all kinds
and classes of men there to look after the interests
of the Indians; and yet we find that so little
attention was paid to those supplies that they were dumped
off in the mud and filth and left there to rot. And we are
surprised and astounded that the Indian is not satisfied
with the attention he receives, Mr. McColl, the Inspector
of Agencies, says:

‘T also notice in the same records that nearly all the banis within
this agency have received more axes thar they were entitled to under
the treaty, and that only two or three bands have received their com-
plement of hoes, spades and scythes, notwithstanding the representa-
tion made to the Contrary to the Department as well as to the Indians
in reference to this matter.” ; Sey
Notwithstanding the representations: made to the contrary,
to the Department as well as to the Indians, in reference
to this matter. In other words, our agents in the North-
West, in charge of tho Indian Department, were so indolent,
so lazy, so indifferent and so careless, that they delivered to
some bands of Indians far more of one class of tools and
implements than were required, while to other bands they
gave none atvall, The same inspector further reports :

“ The potatoes and barley received last spring were half rotten.”

Now, I ask the Acting Minister of Indian Affairs if his atten-
tion was evor drawn to that report? Is that the kind of
treatment we ought to mete out to the wards of the nation,
to the men with whom, above all others, we are in honor
bound to deal fairly and honestly? We pay for these
things, and we supply them, but when they reach the
Indians they are wholly unfit for use.. The same inspector
again says:

‘That the councillor complains that the quality of the hats, trousers
and shoes received by him were inferior.’’
He further reports that John Harcus; one of the councillors
of the Cumberland band, complains that the agricultural
implements forwarded by the Department for their use,
were refused to them. We were under obligations,
we were in honor bound to give the Indians these things ;
they were bought and paid for, yet when they reached their
destination, some wise agent of the Administration would
not hand them over to the Indians. Was any enquiry made
into this? In so far as Iam able to gather from the reports,
none was made. OC. BE. Denny, another Indian agent,
speaking of the breach of contract by the contractor, says :

‘I gent & messenger to Fort Benton, tol. @. Baker & Co., informing
them that flour was needed, and to ship-at once. I had, on two
occasions, to purchase cattle from others than the contractors, as they
failed to keép me supplied, and beef would have run out on the Black-
feet and other reserves had I not done so. I had to pay half prices, and
notified the contractors before taking this step.’’
There you see how a portion of the fund which Parliament
voted was expended. The contractors either did not supply
the articles at all, or supplied it of an inferior quality ; yet,
no investigation was made, no enquiry made, and nothing
was done. Mr. Herchmer, speaking of the Sioux bands,
BAYS: (os

“A geet deal of sickness has visited them lately caused by the want
of fresh meat.’’
W. Pocklington, speaking of Stoney Indians, says :

“ Daring last winter there was a great deal of distress among them
for want of clothing many of them not having a blanket to cover their
nakedness.” ; .

a P, Wadsworth, speaking of the Day Star band, says
that :

“They complained that they did not get their treaty pigs, and they
asked for more oxen, tool chests, moccasing and milk pans.”

He reports as to Mistowasis band : -

“They complained that they did not get treaty pigs, and Wadsworth
recommends that Mistowasis and Ahtahkakoops get them.”

Mr. Wadsworth says of the Bobtail band :
They complain that still due them, under treaty, a cow and bull, w

And further :

“ The Ermine Skin’s band complain of want of a mower and some

carts.
These are not the only complaints that the Indians have
been making for a number of years. We promisod, and
were under obligations to supply the Indians, just {fresh
from the plains, from which the buffalo had disappeared,
with fresh beef. Bat instead of fresh beet, we supplied them
with salt pork, though we could get fresh beef at from 8 to
15 cents per Ib., and had to pay for the pork, some of which
was rusted at that, from 20 to 25 cents per Ib. The table I
submit, culled from the vouchers in the Indian Department,
shows the following rates :—

‘¢ At Fort Macleod, in 1882-3, beef was worth per Ib. 84 cents and
bacon 20 cents; in 1883-4, beef was worth per Ib. 14 cents and bacon
234 cents; in 1884-5 beef 15 ceats and bacon 18 cent per ib. In the
Saskatchewan District, ia 1882-3, beet was worth 15 cents and bacon 25
cents; in 1883-4, beef 20 cents, and bacon 223 cents perlb. At Battle-
ford, in 1882-3, beef was worth 124 cents per lb., and bacon 23 cents ;
and 1883-4, beef 17 cents, and bacon 20 cents In Calgary, in 1882-3
beef was worth 8%, and bacon 21g cents; and in 1883-4, beef 143, an
bacon 24} cents per lb.’’

And this, although the Department was made aware of the
fact, by its agent Mr. Herchmer in his report for 1883. Mr.
Herckmer there says :

‘CA great deal of sicknes3 has visited them lately caused by the want
of fresh meat.’ The Indians, unier treaty 4, received in 188:=5, $15,-
290.92 worth of pork, and $1,288.45 worth ot beef, although itis known
iat beef is life to the Indian, while salt pork is disease and death to

im.

This bountiful, humane and attentive Government, whose
duty it was to look after the interest of the Indians, sup-
plied them with twelve pounds of disease and death to one
pound of life. And this, although the reports of the De-
partment are literally teeming with warnings to and re-
monstrances against the Government for the inhuman
treatment the Indians received at their hands, by supplying
them with pork instead of with fresh meat. Agent Herch-
mer, in his report dated the 24th July, 1835, speaking of
the types of disease among the Indians says :

“ To these might be added I think the sudden change from fresh meat
on the Prairies to flour and bacon in comparative confinement.”

And again at page 61 he says:

“ At Oak River, eleven men have died out of 88 heads of families, and
seventeen children under three years old. This is very distressing and
is hard to account for—the er of diet, owing to the failure of
hunting and scrofula, being probably the cause.” :
It is very distressing, the agent pathetically says, while ali
the time these very agents were doing what they knew
they ought not to have done; namely, supplying these
men with salt pork at 20 to 25 cents per pound when they
could have got fresh beef at from 84 to 15 cents per pound.
Mr. Magnus Begg, Indian agent, in his report dated 28th
July, 1885, says: bS

‘‘ During the. month of April there was considerabl> sicknoss on
the Stoney reserva and it was thought favorable to issue beef, which
was done and with satisfactory results.”’

In other words, we fed the Indians on salt pork until they
became sick unto death, and then we fed them on fresh bee,
to restore them to health again. Has the Government of this
country, has the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the
North-West Territory not considered that an ounce of pre-
vention is worth a pound of cure, that it would be better to
feed the Indian on fresh beef to prevent disease rather than
to feed him on fresh beef to «ffect a cure, especially as fresh
beef can be purchased at a much lower figure in the market
than salt pork. The reports, with few exceptions, of the
agents of the Department for the last four or five years
show that there have been constant complaints made to the
head of this Department of the inhuman treatment received
by the Indians at the hands of the officia's of this Govern-
ment, Those complaints have been renewed from year to
year; those complaints have not been investigated, J

charge that this Government, although these complaints
have been made by their own agents, have not investigated
them, and, where the truth of the charges was ‘brought
home to the agents of the Department, these agents have
not been dismissed as they should have been. Mr. Wads-
worth, the Superintendent of Indian affairs, in his report
for 1832, speaking of the Riviére qui Barre Indians, says :

‘(The flour and bacon received as supplies was bad, and the flour
received by the Indians at Battleford, had become lumpy.”
Mr. Wadsworth, in his report for 1883, speaking of the
Indians in the Sekaskoots reserve, says : :

“T could get no account of .he supplies sent in by the contractors or
the Government.”
He further says :

+ The flour received by those Indians only averaged 93 pounds per
sack,
And again, speaking of Poundmaker’s band, he says :

‘* The flour was inferior and of light weight.”

A. McKay, Indian agent, in his report for 1884, says that
the Inspector of Indian agencies promised to supply them
with all they might require, and that they were urged by
that agent to make their demands on the Department for
the same; that they did do so, but the supplies were not
sent, .H. McColl, in his report for 1882, says :

‘* Waggons were promised these Indians, and that he was apprehen-
sive of serious. consequences, unless their claims were recognised,”’
Mr. T, P. Wadsworth, in his report for 1883, speaking of
Day Star’s band says:

“The chief complained that he could not get his treaty pigs, and that
he wanted more oxen, a tool chest and milk pans.”
Also that:
_ Mistowasis' band and Ah-tah-ka-koop’s band did not get their treaty
pigs, and he recommends that they get them.”
He further reports that:

“ Bobtail’s band complained that there was sti!l1 due them under the
treaty a cow and # bull.”

He farther reports that:

“Ermine Skin’s band complained that there was due them under the
treaty a mower and some carts.’’

Francis Ogiltree, Indian agent, in his report dated 14th
October, 1884, says, in speaking of the Sandy Bay band:

‘( They, are very anxious to get the cattle they are entitled to ag well
as some of the tools.”

John McIntyre, Indian agent, in his report dated 6th
October, 1884, says in reference to the Lac des Mille Lacs
band :

“This band is still entitled to three cows.’’

And ofthe Wobegan and Hagle Lake bands:

“T took an inventory of all their tools and implements and find they
are short of a good many for which I have made requisition.’’

And of the Mattawa and English Rivers band :

_“ This band asks for one plough and one harrow, twenty grubbers, one
morticing pick, one single yoke, and two cows still are due them.’’

And of the Fish River reserve:

‘They again ask for a steel grist mill. They also request to be sup-
plied with two brush breaking ploughs, two iron harrows, and four sets
of strong chain traces as those previously furnished were worthless.”’

I have shown not only that we have sent bad agents to
administer Indian affairs in the North-West Territories, but
that we have broken faith with the Indians in many respects.
I now propose to prove that we have by our negligence and
misconduct allowed the Indians, inthe midst of plenty, to be
frozen to death and starved to death. I have shown that we
have allowed them to ba robbed, swindled and cheated out
of what they were entitled to, by the agents and the middle.
men, that we gave them little orno clothing, and, to cap the
climax of our criminality, we have allowed them to be frozen
and starved to death. Let us see how far this is proved
‘by the records submitted to Parliament :—Mr, McDonald,

Indian agent, under Treaty No.4, published a letter from
Poundmaker, dated 10th November, 1882, in which the
old chief says:

“ There is to-day a great distress in my band. Their rations are sus-
pended now for 41 days and, of course, everybody is busy roving about
and hunting. It is impossible to work on an empty stomach.” .
C. HE, Denny, Indian agent, in his report for 1882, says :

‘*T found the Blackfeet willing to work had they received assistance
but ir a been badly neglected and, in consequence, were wild an
unsettled.

Commissioner McLeod, in his report for 1879, says:

‘‘T have experienced great difficulty (with the distress and Guifering)
AppitseMans or relief being constantly made to me by the starving bands
of Indians. a

Again the commissioner says:
é “ A Stoney Indian and his family had been without food for many
ays.

Superintendent Walsh, in his report for 1880, says :

‘* Hunger and sumering prevailed. In some places persons became so
reduced as to be unable to help themselves. The want of food followed
by disease caused an epidemic, which. marked its results by the many
graves now to be seen in Wood Mountain.”’

Was there ever such a ‘picture as. this painted by the
most. skilful .artist?: Was there. ever such an_ indict-
ment preferred. against any Government? Was there ever
such an indictment preferred against this incompetent Gov-
ernment as that framed in this report of one of their own
agents in the North-West? Nothing but the weakness,
the incompetency of this Administration would have per-
mitted this condition of affairs to have existed one hour after
it was made known to the Government, but, with a full
knowledge of all these facts, with a full knowledge on
their own part, on the part of the Superintendent-General
and of Commissioner Dewdney, not the first step was
taken to rectify the wrong done to the Indians, The
breach of faith, the violated: promises, the broken pledges,
the fraud and misconduct of the officials, the robbing
and cheating all-around, the negligence and incompe-
tency of this Administration, are all marked by the graves
of the Indianson the side of Wood Mountain. Still the
Government never moved, never stirred, never investigated.
The Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the North-West Ter-
ritories never moved, never stirred, never investigated. No,
he luxuriated in his comfortable quarters in Regina, and the
Indians ‘whom we are bound to aoe might starve to
death and freeze to-death as far as he was concerned, Let
me ‘establish this statement by a mass of testimony that
cannot be successfully assailed. The Moose Jaw News, a
paper by. no means unfavorable to the Administration, on
the 14th March; 1884, writing of the condition of the Indians
in that neighborhood, speaks: as follows :—

‘Tn this connection the cage ofseveral Indian families in this vicinity
may be cited. A friend driving by one, afew days. ago, was given to
understand that death had been in their midst. On entering the tepee a
pitiable sight was discovered. Starvation was visible in their counten-
ances, and a glance sufficed to show the cause. of the.-warrior’s death.
One can hardly imagine how they had lived at all. The canvass of the
tent was old and torn. Nota Véstige of anything edible was to be seen,
but a few rabbit-skins lying around showed what had composed their
last meal. Everything ia the way of blankets was under or over the
dead braves. Around a cheerless fire were huidled an Indian and three
or four equaws. They stated that they had been without food for two
days, an pear rie would go to prove the truth of their assertion.
Can we in this enlightened age, allow scenes.like this to take place in
our midst without uttering an indignant protest to the BrOpee authori-
ties 7? Would these Indians have left their reserves, and ron the risk of
starvation, if they were sure of being supplied. with the necessities of
life there ?”’ ;

The same paper, on the 13th June, 1884, discussing the
injury inflicted by the Government upon chief Pi-a-pot, says:

“ But even this will be utterly insufficient to wipe out the past. Its
record will remain afoul blot in our history. The sufferings of the
Indians in the Assiniboia reserves during the past winter are a burning
shame to us, a ae reproach to our Government. What would be
thought of usi n England, or in any other Christian country, were it
clearly understood that for weeks large bands of Indians, the wards of
the nation, poor, wretched creatures, whose primitive sources of sipply

had been cut off by our invasion, and whom we were bound by solemn
treaty, as well as by every consideration of justice and humanity, to feed
and care for, were dying by scores; partly from semi-starvation and

artly from disease resulting from the bad quality of the food supplied

y the agents! It is no excuse to say that the facts were not known.
Why were they not known? Were there not:high officials whose first
duty it was to Laoxe the facts? If it should prove that the want of
knowledge, or to ths fearful ravages of somvy, were due in any degree
to a petty economy which dispensed with the services of a competent
medical inspector in order to save his fees, this would be an aggravation
of the guilt of those responsible for it. :

“We write thus strongly because we feel strongly on this subject. It ig
a subject on whichevery Canadian and every settler in the North-West
in particular, isin duty bound to feel strongly. As we have before
pointed out, the gravest issues, involving not only the paramount claims
of humanity and right, but also the security of life and property are
wrapped upin the maintenance of friendly relations and good faith
with the aborigines.

‘¢ We do not remember to have met with a settler from the neighbor-
hood in which those events occurred, who has not sympathised with Pi-
a-pot and admitted that, however wrong-headed and. cantankerous the
chief may have shown himself on other occasions, he is, in this instance,
the injured party.. We have returned to the matter because it is of the
first importance that the record of last winter’s treatment of the Indians
should be thoroughly examined, and such measures taken as will render
the recurrence of such scenes im possible.”

Commissioner Irvine in his report of 1882, says:,

“Por a considerable time they made no demand for aid from the
Government, but as the cold weather came on being very poorly clad
and insufficiently supplied with food, they experienced much hardship
from exposure and starvation.”

Mr, Jackson, in his speech to which I have already rofer-
red, said:

“Now, I charge that at Indian Head, in the winter of 1883, several of
the Indians died of starvation. When I stated that fact, 1 knew it to be
a fact. The Lieutenant-Governor in his reply to me, brings a lot of docu-
ments, and the report of Dr. Hdwards says that five men starved to death,
Mr. Dewdney said there was so much provisions at Indian Head. I know
they were there; but his fiat had gone forth not to feed them so much,
that. Pi-a-pot was a bad piece of muslin, and that they must cut. down
the rations. And now, instead of five dying, itis a matter of my own know-
ledge, a matter [ can prove on oath, that instead of five dying there, 10
per cent. of all the Indians on the Indian Head reserve died through
starvation in six months (thet is 20 per cent. per annum), . He became
very anxious about the File Hill Indians... What has he done with.them
becanse of their turbulency, because they showed a disposition; per-
hap?, to rise up and join the Indians cf the north‘in figLting? He has
reduced them at the present: time to that:state that in the case of one
Indian (I am prepared to prove this and to give the name of the
man too), within two months seven of his children died because they
had not the necessaries of life. I tell you what [know to be a fact.
The Indians on the File Hills reserve believe that if one of their num-
ber falls sick there is no:use in trying to make him get well, they have
not sufficient nourishing food and they must let him die.”’

This
of Indian: Affairs six years ago,
policy, it is a policy’ that ought: not to prevail in any:
civilised country, Six years ago the Agent General of
Indian Affairs openly and deliberately adopted. this: policy
in the following language :-—

licy of starvation was adopted by: the Agent General

‘*T must; say, however, thatiit..was a dangerous thing, to commence;
the system of feeding the Indians. So long as they, know they can rely,
or believe they can rely, on any source -whatever’ for their food they’
make ‘no effort to support. themselves. We have to. guard against that,:
and the only way to. guard against itis by.being rigid,, even stingy in
the distribution of food, and require.absolute proof of starvation before
distributing it,’’

Sir, this: policy was:adoptedisix. years ago, and.jit) has:been
persisted in ever since: During tho: last-four,or five years
this’ policy has proved:to be:a, failure, but: its failure taught
the Government no lessons; The experience of the past, the
reports of: their own-agents in the: North-West. Tersitorics,
taught hon. gentlemen opposite no lesson ; the reports of the
best of their officials transmitted to this Administration fell
upon deaf ears. They neither opered their eyes nor unsealed
their ears, They slumbered on from:year to year, and even
the unmistakeable signs'«f the coming storm in the North-
West Territory did not:arouse honi gentlemen A toa
sense of the danger in whichythe country was placed. Last
Session the Agent General of Indian Affairs used the follow-
ing language::—-

tiga cruel and. atrocious:

“ When Lonis Riel was sent for last summer he was sent for by thase
poor people suffering from hunger; because, while we went to a large,
expenditure in keeping them, we did not give them such a quantity of
food as would make them ha: g around the different stations and become
habitual beggars. We kept them on short rations, on short allowance:
and we tried to force them—I am speaking now of the Indians—an
we have forced them upon their reserves.’’ :

Sir, let me give you another piece of testimony upon this
subject.. Mr. Jackson says this:

“The Indiang on the File Hill reserve believe that if one of their num-
ber fall sick there is no use in tryirg to make h'm get weil, they have
not sufficient nourishing food and they must let himdie. The man {
speak of came down to the fort the other day absolutely in rags, with
his two squaws, and said to a man in Fort Qu’Appelle (I do not men«
tion his name now, but at the proper time, if necessary, [ can produce
this man) :—‘' What canI do for anything to eat? We are dying of
starvation.’ He was told:—‘ You had better go to Regina, and the
Lieutenant-Goyernor may be able to do something for you.’ (‘Oh, oh.’)
The old squaw had an old piece of tea-chest wre pHi ie which you
could throw hailstones through, to serve as a blanket, These are the
wards of the Government! The man was so thinly clad that he was:
frozen below his knees, and yet he was going to Regina to try and
muve the heart of that man whose heart is stone—to move the heart of
that man to give something to keep lifein him. (‘Shame.’) Is such
the proper conduct of the man who has charge of the wards of the Gov-
ernment? Why, he deserves to be hooted and hissed and. driven out of
the country. (Loud cheers).’’ :

One of the agents, Mr, Herchmer, writing upon this subject,
says in his report for last year:

“ During the winter I visited the Pas reserves a number of times and
witnessed the actual condition of the Indians. For three months—
January to March—many of those in the Pas Birch Riverand Pas Moun~
tains suffered keenly.’ It was impossible to supply food as it was actually.
needed, for there was not sufficient in the district. Undoubtedly the
amount of relief given last winter, though seh a ra large, has
been the mans of preserving numbers of these Indians alive.’

They were suffering keenly, he says; there was no food in
the district, simply because the policy cf this Administra-
tion was a policy of reducing the Indians to submission by
a policy of starvation. In the same report Mr, Herchmer

Says:

About the same time an Indian came from the Pas Mountain, telling
me of the privation from which the band were suffering and asking for
relief, and further, that the Mountain [Indians were suffering-frcm want?

Mr, Pocklington, in his report, says :

“In January, while visiting the Piegan Reserve, I received a letter
from Lieut.-Col. McLeod that 75 Stonies were in Pincher Creek in a
starving condition. I started for their camp at once, and found them in
reality starving, except for assistance given them by Ool. McLeod and
other residents.”

Now, Sir, I submit that I have established beyond all con-
troversy the charge I have made against this Government,

that the Indians of the North-West. Territories have been

subjected to the greatest potaile suffering, that the Gov-
ernment. have permitted them. to freeze to death and
starve to death, and that in the midst. of plenty, and with.
the bountiful. donations of this Parliament for feeding
and clothing the Indians. I go farther than that, Mr,
Speaker, I charge. that last winter many of the. Indians
on the: reserve at Indian Head. were starved to death,
I charge that Dr. Edwards, an employee of this Govern-
ment, so. reported to Commissioner Dewdney, and so
scandalous and outrageous was the nature of that report,
that Lieutenant-Governor Dewdney suppressed the original
report, and it has not seen the light of day to this hour, I
charge that this scandalous state of affairs was well
known to this Administration, and that this is true
is beyond: peradventure, because I hold in my hands part,of a
speech’ made by Lieutenant Governor Dewdney to the

orth-West Council during its last Session, as reported in

the Regina Leader of the 10th December, 1884, in which
he says:

“Shortly after they had taken up their residence on the reserve,
hearing that there was a great deal of sickness in their band, we in
structed Doctor Edwards, who was then in our euploy, to make an
inspection of Pi-a-Pot’s people. In his report which I now have before
me he states in these words, ‘some of these Indians have died of starva-
tion this winter. They were ill ahd could not eat the bacon and flour, ’!?

I ask you, Mr. Speaker, I ask this House of Commons, [ask
the people of this country, if it is not a scandalous outrage
that, right under the shadow of the vice-regal establish-
ment at Regina, at Indian Head, on the borders of the
Canatian Pacific Railway, the Indians shou!d have been
allowed to starve to death during last winter, and that in
the midst of plenty, with the enormous tums voted by this
Parliament for the purpose of feeding and clothing the
Indians. And yet we have it out of the mouth of Governor
Dewdney, and from the report of Dr. Edwards, employed
by him to examine into the condition of the Indians, that
many of the Indians on that reservation died of starvation
last winter. [ charge still further: That many of the
Indians on the File Hills died of starvation last
winter; that seven children of these Indians. died of
starvation within two months last winter; that those
facts. were made known to Commissioner Dewdney,
and that he instructed the agent to go to the reserve
and warn the Indians that if they disclosed to the public
their misery, hunger and starvation their rations
would be stopped. I challenge this Administration now to
issue a commission to investigate the matter, to appoint a
commission of sensible and Roneat men to investigate this
whole question, and I believe that every statement, I have
made upon thissubject is capable of the clearest possible pioet
I-say a Government which has so neglected the first duties
of a Government towards its wards deserves condemnation,
deserves the severest condemnation at the hands of the
people of this country. That is not all. I say further,
that thé. Indians, as I have shcwn, have been rob-
bed, defrauded and swindled, frezen to death and starved
to death, and yet we expect them to be peaceful, sub-
missive, faithful and loyal subjects of the Queen. And that
in the face of the statement of the Agent General for Indian
Affairs made in 1880 and re affirmed in 1£85 that the policy
of this Administration was a policy of submission by a
policy of starvation; and that in the face cf the
report of Agent Herchmer sent to the Department that a
little starvation would do the Indians good; and that in
the face of the declaration of Governor Dewdney that if
they did not eat salt pork they might die and
be damned to them, With this cruel and brutal treat-
ment of the. Indians, with this cruel and brutal report
of agent Herchmer, and with the admission of Lieut.Gov-
ernor.Dewdney, need anyone wonder that the Indians are
dissatisfied and discontented. I should like to see the
experiment tried on the officials of the Government;
from the commissioner down to agent Herchmer, and
from agent Herchmer down to the lower officials,
and alittle starvation might teach them common sense.
A policy of fraud; a policy of violated treaties and broken
promises has been tried in the neighboring republic for 100
years, and without success, It has been tried in this
country for a number of years also without success, and it
will be tried without success to the end of the chapter. The
authoress of “One hundred years of dishonor,” speaking of
the practical results of this policy in the United States,
says:

“ The history of the Government’s connections with the Indians is a
shameful record of broken treaties and unfulfilled promises.’’

And then the authoress points out the result :

' Under all these conditions it is not a matter of wonder that the
frontier was a scene of perpetual devastation and bloodshed; and that

ear by year there giew stronger in the minds of the whites a terror and
hatred of Indians, and in the minds of the Indians a stronger and
stronger distrust and hatred of the whites.”

Then the authoress points out the true policy that ought to
be pursued by a Christian Government:

“ The reports are filled with eloquent statements of wrongs done to
the Indias, of perfidies on the part of the Government; they counsel,
as earnestly as words can, & trial of the simple and unperplexing
expedients of telling the truth, seeping promises, making fair bargains,
dealing justly in all ways and in all things.” : ‘ ,

Such have been the results of the policy pursued by the
Administration. Hon. gentlemen hive sown the wind and
they must expect to reap the whirlwind. Nothing but
discontent and dissati-faction and rebellion could be expected
from the course pursued by hon. gentlemen opposite, This
statement I propose still farther to confirm by the evidence
of Mr. McDougall, from whose statement I have already
largely quoted. He says:

“ ¢T have thrown down the gauntlet,’ he replied. ‘If my letter is
challenged I am prepared to substantiate every word of it, but not
before ‘t is contradicted. We have reached a certain crisis in the Indian
question. There have been in the past grave irregularities in the Depart-
ment, for exposing which [ was denounced as a traitor anda liar, and
brought twice before the conference of my church, but the verdict of
the investigating committee always supported me. The Indians have
been defrauded by the contracts no: being cavried out as specified in the
traty and the Indian is being defrauded, and so is the Government,
which is made to believe. that the Indians receive a certain am:unt
when they don’t. But of course the Indian is the greatest lozer.’ ”!

Mr. Grier from whom I have already quoted says:

“ That corruption exisis is commonly reported and commonly believed.
The fraud comes in by arrangement between the contractors and
officials on different reserves. can’t give particulars. I know it
éxists. The money thus lost if expended on educating the yong
Indians would do a great deal of good. There is no use trying to teac
the old, they won’t learn.”

This being the condition of uffairs, one would naturally like
to enquire into the expenditure of the enormous sums voted
by Parliament to feed and clothe the Indians, It can be
accounted for; a large portion of it can easily be accounted
for. The Indian is charged with what he never gets; he
is charged two prices for the articles he gets.. Le is
charged with articles that ought not to. be charged to him
at all; he is robbed right and left-by the.officials and by
the middle men, and that I propose taprove beyond possi-
bility of dispute. The Indians, under Treaty No. 1, in 1883,
1884, 18&5, according to the Sessional :Papers, are charged
with agricultural implements and tools, to the amount of
$863.50; Indians under Treaty No. 2, $504 23; Indians
under Treaty No. 3, $1,178.71; Indians under Treaty No,
4, $27,441; Indians under Treaty No.5, $2,346; Indians
under Trea y No. 6, $37,420.13; Indians under Treaty No.
7, $22,581.99. The Indians under those seven treaties are
charged in those accounts, in three years, with agricultural
implements and tools to the amount of $92,337.13.
Now, Sir, according to the reports for 1886, the Indian
population, resident on the reserves under Treaties Nos. 4, 6
and 7 was 12,102, and they had under cultivation 4,614 acres,
It does appear tom, extraordinary that an Indian popula.
tion of 12,102 souls -with 1,614 acres under cultivation
would require agricultural implements and ‘tools in three
years amounti:g to the sum of $87,444. And you must
recollect, Mr. Speaker, that this was not all, because they
are charged with large sums in the year 1882. I say
there is something rctten here. It is simply incredible,
it is simply impossible, that these Indians ever required or
utilised implements costing so much in so short a period of
time. Now, let us take fProaty No. 4. According to the
Sessional Papers for 1884, the [Indians under that treaty
numbered, in 1883, 6,886, little and big, old and young
men and women, and yet in three years they are shared
with agricultural implements and tools amounting to $27,441.
Did the Indians ever get those implements?. I say they did
not, or that if they did get them this expenditure was
nothing more nor less than a scandalous and wilful waste
of public money, voted by this Parliament to clothe and feed
the Indian ard keep him from starving or freezing to death.
According to the reports, so far as I can discover, they had
under cultivation, in 1883, 554 acres; in 1884, about 1,000
acres; in 1885, 1,590 acres, or an average of 1,000
acres in the three years; and yet, in these three years,
for half cultivating 1,000 acres, they are charged
with the sum of $27,441 worth of implements and
tools. Take .Treaty. No. 6, It appears from the
Sessional Papers ot 1885 that the Indians under this

~treaty in 1884 numbered 6,673. Under this treaty the
‘Government paid for implements and tools in three years
for these Indians $37,420. There are -not more than
500 able-bodied agriculturists in this band, and yet
they are charged with this enormous sum. I say that 500
of the best farmers of Ontario. who farm from 100 to 150
acres each, do not spend as much money in three years on
farming implements and tools as we spent on this band of
Indians, Now, according to the Indian report for 1886,
the Indian population of the North-West Territories
resident on the reserves, numbered 12,102, and they had
under cultivation 4,614 acres, and to half cultivate this
land the Government charge the Indian account in three
years with $87,444 worth of agricultural implements and
tools. All I can say, all that any man can say, on a subject
of the kind, is that these charges on tho face of them bear
the clearest possible evidence of fraud on the part
of somebody. The Indians are charged with this
sum; it is paid out of Indian moneys voted by Parlia-
ment, but I challenge hon. gentlemen opposite to show that
half these articles ever reached the Indians. Is it not the
fact—I charge that it is the fact, and I challenge them to a
scrutiny; I challenge them to appoint a commission or a
committee of this House to enquire into the matter—is it
not a fact that in one of the bands numbering 1,150 families
they are charged in one year with 1,160 hoes, and the very
next year this same band is charged with 1,014 additional
hoes? Is it not the fact—I charge that it is the fact—that
one band received in one year 50 ploughs, 320 scythes, 320
hay forks, and the very next year this same band are
charged with 63 ploughs, 63 harrows, 140 scythes and 140
hay forks; and tbo following year this same band are
charged with $2,209 worth of ploughs, besides more scythes
and hay forks, and $5,490 of implements under contract ?
Will any man tell me that these articles ever reached
the Indians? I say it is an outrage on common
sense and decency; I say it is quite impossible that they
ever reached the Indians, and I say further that if they
did receive them, it was a wilful misapplication of the
money voted by Parliament for the purpose of supply-
ing the Indians with the absolute necessaries for the culti-
vation of the soil. The Indian was robbed and the coun-
try was robbed, and the only men who profited by it were
the agents and the middlemen. I say still further: In the
- Sessional Papers for 1884, No. 4, as showing the extraordi-
nary kind of items that this Government charge to the
Indian account, I find that K. D. Graham is paid the sum
of $1,984 for medicines supplied to the Indians. That is
not all, for there are several other men whose accounts are
charged to the Indians for supplying medicine. I say that
is enough to physic every Indian in the North-West twice
-over, and keep them physicked nearly all the year round,
That is not all. In 1883 the Indian account is charged
with $3,630 for commission paid to those pets of the Gov-
ernment, I.G. Baker and others, as commission for advances
made to the Indians, I ask you, Sir, and I ask this House,
when the Parliament of this country liberally donated
$1,109,000 to teed, clothe and support the Indians, why we
should pay the sum of $3,630 as commission to I. G, Baker
and others for advances made by them? The Government
had the money, Parliament voted the money, it was
in their hands, and it was their business to supply
the necessary funds to purchase supplies; it was
their business to have bought the articles for . cash,
and to have paid for them instead of having the Indian
account charged with this sum in one year as commission
for advances, This is not all. In the account for 1883, the
enormous sum of $26,312 is charged to the Indian account
for the travelling expenses of the agents appointed by this
Government over the Indians in the North- W ost Territories,
And recollect, we supply these men with horses, buckboards,
.Sleighs, and camping outfits and everything required for
' 2

travelling; and yet there is this enormous sum of $26,312
charged in one year for travelling expenses. Iftellfyou, Sir,
and r say it without fear of successful contradiotion,that every
agent in the service, from the Lieutenant-Governor down to
the humblest farm instructor, can travel in the North-West
Territories from the 1st January to the 31st December, all
the year round, and not spend $26,000. It is the cheapest
country in the world to travel in. All you require is a
few Indian ponies and a buokboard, and in the case of
these agents these things are supplied. Out of this sum
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs got nearly $2,000,
In addition to that the Commissioner of Indian Affairs gots
his camp outfit, his tent, his horses and harness, and every-
thing that human skill and human ingenuity can devise as
necessary for travelling on the prairie; and yet he draws
nearly $2,000 for travelling expenses in one year. I say again,
it is a gross injustice to the Indians that these sums, voted
by Parliament to clothe and feed the Indians, should be
wasted and frittered away. It is a still greater injustice
that the men placed over the Indians should pile ement
their handsome salaries by all these casual advantages
stolen out of the funds voted by Parliament to maintain
and support the Indians. Let us seo how much farther
this system is acted on to the injury of the Indian. The
same scandalous expenditure is not for one year only; it
continues from year to year, In the Sessional Papers of
1884, I find that the Indian account is charged with
$22,836 for travelling expenses. By the same Sessional
Papers, I find that I. G. Baker and others obtained $1,417
for commission on advances, which is charged to the
Indian account, I find further, by the Sessional Papers
of 1884, that the number of Indians in Treaty No, 6, in
the year 1883, amounted to 6,639, and the Indian account is
charged with having paid that number of Indians, I find
by the Sessional Papers of the following year that the
Indians in Treaty No.6 were then said to number 8,157.
In 1883 the Indian account is charged with a payment to
6,639 Indians, including chiefs and headmen. In the fol-
lowing year the Indian account is charged with a payment
to 8,157 Indians, or an increase of 1,518 Indians, although
it is clear that instead of there being an increase in
that band, there was a decrease, and uhe concurrent testi-
mony of all who know anything about it is that there was
a decrease, There is evidently something wrong here which
requires investigation, but which never was investigated,
I find in the Sessional Papers of 1885 that all the items
making up the sum of $17,670 are entered twice, [ do not
know whether they have been paid twice; all I know is that
they are entered twice in the blue-books submitted to Parlia-
ment, Some of the items are worthy of the consideration
of Parliament and the people of this country. [ find that
the Indian account of last year is charged with $10 paid
to the South-West Stock Association as Mr. McHugh’s
membership fee. Will anyone tell me why the Indian
accjunt should be charged with the cost of making Mr.
McHugh a member of the South-West Stock Associa-
tion? I find that Mr. P. G. Hallam was oe $5 for
taking an affidavit. The fee in the Province of Ontario is
only 25 cents. I find that $85 is charged for taking a
threshing machine to Poundmaker’s reserve, which is about
half the value of the machine. It should not have cost
more than $12 or $15. I find that P. J. Paterson is paid
$5 for 50 pounds of flour, Kverybody knows that in the
markets of the North-West flour can be got for $5 a barrel.
I find that the Indians are charged with $5,676 as one-third
of the cost of the mail service. I ask why the Indian
account should be charged with that? The mail service is
necessary for the convenience of the white settlers, and
ought to be charged to the ordinary fund, and not to the
Indian account, It looks to me, on examining this account,
as if the object of the Government was simply to spend the
Indian funds in the interests of their friends, Last year the

10

expenditure on Indian account was $1,109,604. Mr. Dewd-
ney, in his report, says it cost $454,000 to feed and clothe
the Indians. Will the hon.'Minister explain to the House and
the country what became of the other $645,000? Ifnot, I
will give some explanation. We paid Commissioner Dewd-
ney a salary of $3,200, and if he were a good man, I would
not object to that charge. We paid an army of officials of
all kinds over $90,000. We paid the Tory press from
the Ottawa Citizen down to the Montreal Gazette, $8,028,
which is charged to the Indian account. ~. paid for
a: ta implements and tools in three years, ,half of
which the Indians never received, $92,337. The Indian
account is charged with sums paid to Indians who were
not in the band; it is charged with sums paid to Indians
who never were in the band ; it is charged with sums paid
to Indians ‘after they we.e dead and before they were born,
as the following statemer* ma. >> Vir. McColl in his report
shows’

“ Qne of the councillors having two wives is represented on the May

sheet as receiving annuity in 1881, for a family of 11 including 2 infant
ene gg whereas at the date of payment, only one of these children was
rn. :

We pay for travelling expenses of the employees of the
Government in the North-West in many cases more than
their salaries amount to, and that in a country where alla
man requires for travelling is an Indian pony and a buck-
board. Some of the items that make up the accounts are
curious, and deserve the consideration of Parliament. In
one of the accounts I find that we paid J. Creighton for
a silk handkerchief, 90 cents. Why should the Indian account
be charged with the price of asilk handkerchief? If the In-
dians are starving to death, they do not require silk handker-
kerchiefs. We paid Wm. Williams for repairing boots, $7.75.
We paid Mr. Laurie for football, $5. it they want to play
football, let them buy their own football, and not charge the
Indian account with it. We paid fora magic lantern, $84.15.
We paid Louisier & Morin, for superintending Indians’ fish-
ing, $135.76, Will any man tell me why we should pay this
sum for this service? I think the Indians know more about
fishing than the Government or their officials do. The account
was also charged last year with a payment of $453
for venetian blinds for the Regina Office. A more scanda-
lous charge was never made than that. $453 for venetian
blinds for a little office in Regina! I venture to say that
there is not a gentleman’s house in Ottawa where the vene-
tian blinds cost $453. Let me refer to some other items that
bear on their face indications of fraud on the Indian. Take
the Indians under Treaty No.4. hey are charged with
seventy-one yoke of oxen in three years, The Indians under
Treaty No, 6 are charged, in 1883, with forty-five yoke of
oxen ; in 1884, forty-two; and in 1885, forty-two, or 130
yoke of oxen in three years. Now, Mr. Speaker, I ask you
to tell me why the Indian account should be charged in three
years with 130 yoke of oxen under this treaty, although
this band of indians had not, so far lam able to judge,
a thousand acres under cultivation? It is nothing less than
a wilful waste of money. These 130 yoke of oxen cost the
pepe of Canada $26,470; and many of the oxen were
aged, crippled and unfit for work of any kind when delivered,
so that in a year or so many of them died from old age, and
such of them as did not die had to be sold or killed, as they
were unfit for work. Francis Ogiltree, Indian agent, writ-
ing of the oxen supplied the Swan Lake band, says:

« The two oxen owned by this band are of very little use, as one of
them is blind and the other one is very old.

A. Mackay, Indian Agent, speaking of the Berens River
Band says :

4 There are only onezox and one cow alive out of the seven supplied
by the Department,’’

BE, McColl, Inspector of Agencies, speaking of sthe Lon;
Plain bandnaya oe g

“ Ag the oxen are useless, one blind and one very old,
the agent to be allowed to exchange them for others.”

they want
Thus two agents report the same thing. The truth of the
matter is that the oxen, for which we paid this enormous
sum, were so useless that they had to be disposed of within
the year. The whole thing is an outrage Parliament should
not tolerate. The Government should be held to a strict
account, and I propose to hold them to a strict account, for
this wasteful expenditure of public money. I find further
that the Indian account is charged with payments to Mr.
Baker of $95 each for three waggons, although I find that

the Government could and did buy from other contractors.

better waggons at $57.50 each. In other words, the people
had to pay, $37.50 more for each waggon than they were
worth. There are still some items to which I would draw,
Mr. Speaker, your particular attention. The Indian account
was charged a year or two ago with still more curious items,
Among them are a table cloth and a napkin for His Grace
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the North-West,
$6.70 ; for washing his blankets, $6.50; 150 yards of cotton,
$21.20; 109 yards of cotton, $13.62; painting, varnishing
and cleaning Government house carriage, $10; kitchen
utensils, $37. Now, we pay Lieutenant-Governor Dewdney,
as Lieutenant-Governor, $4,000 a year; we pay him further,
as commissioner, $3,200 a year; and we pay him yearly
for travelling expenses nearly $2,000; we supply him
with other contingencies required for travelling, such as
horses, sleighs, buckboards, &c., and surely he ought to
wash his own blankets and varnish his own carriage, instead
of charging these things to the Indiangccount. In 1882 the
Indian account is charged for a-horse for the commissioner,
$160; repairs to harness, $18.25; sundry articles, of which
the items are not given, $146.45 ; sundries again, $57.50 ; two |
other horses, $275; two other horses for the commissioner’s
interpreter, $165; two horses again for commissioner, $340;
two horses for Mr. Wadsworth, $110. So that Mr. Dewdney,
in that year, got from the Indian Department five horses
for his own use that cost $775, every one of which was
charged to the Indian account. Why, in the name of com-
mon sense, should Commissioner Dewdney get out of the
Indian fund five horses in one year, costing the people no
less 2 sum than $775. Mr. Wadsworth, who does a great
deal more travelling and ten times the work that Mr.
Dewdney does, got a span of horses for $110 or $55 each,
while Mr. Dewdney’s cost as high in one case as $170 each.
In 1883, the Indian account is charged with another horse
for Mr. Dewdney at $100, and again in the same year with
a buckboard at $150. Now, I state here that there is not a
senigr ys in this House, who knows anything about the
orth-West Territories, but who will declare that. a buck-
board, fit for any gentleman to travel in, can _be obtained
there at from $40 to $60 ; yet the country is charge? $150
for this one. Mr. Dewdney also got another buckbc .d, in
that year, at $80, making two buckboards costing $230,
which were paid for out of the Indian fand, and which
were charged to the Indian account, In the following year,
I find charged to that account, one set of harness for the
commissioner, $35; another horse for the commissioner,
$150; washing the towels of the commissioner, $6; 2.
waggons and harness for the two inspectors, $528. I would
like to know what kind of waggons were those two that
cost $528? In that year again, there is charged to Indian.
account, one buckboard, $117; one waggon and. harness,.
$100; and another buckboard, $115. In 1885, another
buckboard is charged to Indian account at $125. In the
report for 1886, the same account is charged with one mare
for commissioner, $125; one Pe of horses for Mr. McRae,
$365 ; one buckboard for Mr. McRae, $90; one horse for Mr,
McRae, $166 ; one sleigh for commissioner, $40. Why, every
single thing is charged to the Indian account; yet Mr,
Dewdney draws nearly $2,000 a he for travelling ex-
penses. In the same year, we paid $1,492 to Baker Co.,.

11

and others, for advances made, and this same year $20,150
was charged to Indian account for travelling expenses.
Among some of the items not open to discussion are the
following: P. G. Williams, paid for travelling expenses
from Piegan Reserve to Crooked Lake, $183; J. A. Har-

rave, $125 for one desk for Winnipeg office. Can you
imagine, Sir, the kind of desk that would cost $125 for an
Indian office? My knowledge is too limited to enable me
to grasp that great subject. Mr. Wadsworth was allowed
$100 for a buckboard—$40 is the average price. I now come
to a couple of other items, which will be found interesting.
Three thousand nine hundred and forty-eight dollars is
charged as spent on potatoes for one band of Indians, the
Indians under Treaty No. 4, The Indians under Treaty No.
6, are charged with $473.87 for garden seeds in 1883; in
1884 the same Indians are charged with $742.89 for garden
seeds; and in 1885, the same Indians are charged again with
$810.78 for garden seeds, so that, in the three years I have
given, these Indians were charged with $2,027 worth of
garden seeds. I mean to say that the Indians never got
these seeds to this extent, or if they did it was a scandalous
waste of the public, or rather Indian, money. I mean to
say, Sir, that $2,000 worth of garden seeds would seed every
garden in the whole North-West, from the western boundary
of Manitoba to the foot of the Rocky Monntains, and then
leave enough to seed part of the Province of Ontario. And
yet these Indians were charged with $2,027 for garden seeds
during the past three years. This item alone exhibits an ex-
travagance, recklessness and waste on the part of the Admin-
istration, which is simply incredible. It is simply disgraceful
that any Government should tolerate this condition of
affairs for a single year, and the fact that this Government
has tolerated it reflects no credit upon them. I have thus
shown by evidence which cannot be contradicted that the
Indian service in the North-West is filled with carpet-baggers
and camp-followers, with men incompetent to fulfil the
duties they are called upon to discharge, with men
of bad habits and worse morals, with men who mini-
mise the truth, with men who yet have not been able
to distinguish between meum and tuum. I have shown you
that we have dealt harshly and cruelly with the
Indians, that we have broken our solemn promises, that we
have violated every line of every treaty that we made with
the Indians, that we have permitted our agents and
middlemen to rob and steal from the Indians, that our
agents have allowed those Indians to be frozen to death and
starved to death, and that in the midst of plenty. Sensible
men, reasonable men foresaw long ago what would be the
inevitable result ofthe foolish and mad policy pursued by
this Administration towards the Indians, the policy of sub-
mission by a policy of starvation. Sensible men could see
that the only ending would be that which was shown in the
terrible outbreak of last’ year. Sensible men can see now
that the condition of the Indians there requires the earnest
attention of this Parliament. Is it possible to open the
eyes of hon. gentlemen opposite ? I have almost despaired
of it. The Superintendent General of Indian Affairs, in his
report for 1886, says :

‘* The Indians who rebelled do not plead grievances in extenuation of
their having done so.”

I know that the supporters of the Government, in Parliament
and out of Parliament, and the press supporting hon. gentle-
men opposite, and all those who clamored for the blood of
Louis Riel, in order if possible to increase his criminality,
have declared that, had it not been for him, the Indians of
the North-West would not have taken up arms, That is
true in a sense and it is not true. Itis true that the action
of Louis Riel was the spark which fired the train, but I sa,

the combustible material was there all the same. lt
slumbered for seven years, but it only slumbered. It is not
true that the action of Louis Riel was the only or the

main cause of the Indians joining their kindred, the
half-breede, in the recent insurrection in the North-West
Territory. The Indian on the whole is a quiet, peaceable,
law-abiding, loyal subject of Her Majesty the Queen, and it
required a good deal more than the mad freaks of a lunatic
to induce the Indians to take up arms against the
sovereign power of this Dominion. I say that every man
not blinded by party prejudice, every man whose eyes
are open, or who is willing to have his eyes opened and
his ears unstopped, must see that the policy, the avowed

licy of the Administration and of their officials in the

orth-West had a great deal to do, had everything to do,
with the outbreak of the Indians, and that that policy
would sooner or later eventuate in an armed insurrection.
The way to maintain the loyalty of the Indian is not by
violating solemn engagements, not by breaking every
treaty entered into with the Indian, not by unfulfilled
promises made by the Government, not by cheating,
robbing and swindling the Indians, not by cruel and harsh
treatment, not by death from cold and starvation ; and
of all these things I charge that this Government thr ough
their agents have been guilty. I propose to read one or
two other extracts to establish the proposition I have laid
down. The Rev. John McLean, Methodist missionary to the
Blood Indians near Fort Macleod, discussed the half-breed
and Indian question in the August number of The Canadian
Methodist Magazine. He says:

‘¢'The causes of the present discontent among the Indians are legion.
Some of the men employed by the Department on the reservations have
been granted their positions through political influence, even though
they have been utterly incompetent for the respective duties of their
office. They receive good salaries, and yet the Indians derive very little
benefit from their services. Promises have been made to the Indians by
Government officials that have never been kept. The Department has
professed to give these people food enough to sustain them, yet at differ-
ent times their rations have been cut down. They have been.told that
they were to remain on their reservations, but it was impossible for them
to do so on their daily allowance. About a million dollars a year is now
granted by the Dominion Parliament for the Indian service, but a high
official in the North-West has stated that not one-fourth of this sum, or
the equivalent of one-fourth, ever reaches the Indians. The money is
filtered through the hands of jobbers, supply men, agents, and other
speculators until the Indian’s share is reduced to very little, indeed.’’

Archbishop Taché says :

“The Indians, who should have been cared for and protected by the
Government, were ‘left. prey to the seductions of men revoltingly
immoral, and when this was apo out the friends of humanity had
another regret to register.’ e alleges that in other cases ‘the Indians
were deprived of the pittance assigned to them, or it was given to them
as if they were dogs!’ They were too often deceived. At the risk of
creating great surprise, I affirm that the massacres were not committed
without previous provocation. I here invoke the testimony of one of
the victims himself. The Rev. Father Fafard said, in conversation with
another missionary, who in turn related it to me :—‘Such a one (namin
an official) acts with shameful brutality towards the indians. He wil
be killed some day.’ The person alluded to was killed, and two devoted
missionaries increased the number of victims they were striving to pro-
tect. A gentleman whose veracity I cannot question assured me that
some Indians had told him in 1884 that an individual, whom he men-
tioned, ‘treated them like dogs,’ and the same individual was killed by
the Indians who had lodged the complaint against him.’’

Rev. Mr. McDougall says :

‘‘We could not find, nor did we try to fina, any excuse for the pro-
mises made but not fulfilled, for the cut-throat policy often exhibited
and sometimes enforced by officials of the Indian Department, for the
shameful and immoral lives of ripe of the employees of the same.
Some of these were a disgrace to the lowest barbarism, let alone civili-
sation. Nor how could we, when earnestly trying to teach Indians
habits of industry and thrift, be expected to excuse the laziness and
incompetency of many sent into the country to teach the wards of the
Government those lessons we have been working for them to acquire for
so many years. Moreover could we be blamed when we felt strongly
that something was wrong in the system which allowed such men in its
branch of the service. The inconsistency has oftentimes appeared to us
very glaring when we looked ata department claiming to have a certain
object in view, set aside by the country at large, whose servant it is, to
attain this object, and yet within its own grasp and power doing those
things and adopting those methods which are defeating their object.
Very little rebellion in these men ten or fifteen years ago, and had the
conduct of Government officials of every department sent into this
country been such as to command the Reg et of the natives there would
have been no rebellion on the part of the Indians last spring, nor would

12

the smouldering influences thereof still rankle in the hearts of many.
The same system is being continued without change. Not one of tho
officials complained of has been removed or interfered with. The Gov-
ernment havs refused to accept advice from any quarter.”

Mr. Jackson, in the speech from which we have already
quoted, says:

“T heard some of the men say, who took up arms against the police

to protect themselves (it was said before some responsible citizens of
Fort Qu’ Appelle): ‘ We had to doit orstarve to death, and we preferred
to die by the police bullets rather than die by starvation.’’
Instead of dealing fairly and honestly by the Indian, as we
ought to have done; instead of maintaining unbroken our
treaty obligations with the Indian, we pursued, and we still
pursue that mad and reckless and inhuman policy of sub-
mission by starvation. The Indian agent, in his report of
1883, speaking of Way-way-se-Cappo’s and Gambler’s bands,
Bays: ae

“ They have become particularly independent, and have undertaken
to compel me to give them what they required. Gambler’s band were
algo yery independent, and did not sow much, asI refused to give seed
wheat to those who received it last year and kept none for seed; conse-
quently most of the others refused to take seed. However, both these
pact get work if they want it, and a little starvation will do them
I say it is worse than folly for the First Minister to say
that the Indians who rebelled did not plead grievances in
extenuation of their having done so. It is stopping one’s
ears; it is closing one’s eyes; itis being wilfully blind to
the evidence that is submitted to Parliament in almost
every page of the reports of the Department of Indian
Affairs and of the North-West Mounted Police. The hon.
gentleman knew, the Administration ought to have known,
the terrible experience of the neighboring republic with
just such a policy ; we ourselves knew from our experience
and the reports of our agents in the North-West, what the
effect of such a policy would be. But the Government: may
not be satisfied with the evidence I have given that broken

romises, violated treaties, fraud and peculation, starvation
rdering on death, drove the Indians into the arms of the
rebellious.
weight and authority of which even this Government will
not question. The First Minister of this Dominion has
over and over again declared in Parliament that Governor
Dewdney was the best official in the whole North-West to
deal with the Indians. I took, and still take, issue with the
First Minister on that question. I say he is the most
dangerous official that ever this incompetent and reckless
Government appointed to fulfil any position of trust in the
North-West Territories. But let us see what Governor
Dewdney says of the Indians of the plains in connection
with the insurrection. In his report for the present year
he makes use of the following language :—
‘The bands implicated in the rebellion were those of One Arrow,

Beardy, Okemasis, and part of Petequakeys, in the Carleton district,
and the whole of the Indiang in the Battleford and Fort Pitt districts,

I shall now submit a piece of evidence, the

é

excepting Moosomin’sand part of Thunder Child’s, the latter refusing to
aperoeey the rebel camps until starvation drove him and his followers
todo so.”
So, Sir, you have here, out of the mouth of the Lieutenant-
Governor himself, the statement that these Indians refused
to join the rebel camp until starvation compelled them to
do so. You have the statement out of the mouth of the
commissioner that starvation compelled the chief of this
band, and the whole of his followers, to join the armed insur-
rection. The Minister of Justice told us not long ago, in
his speech in Parliament, that:

“ The man who undertakes in the North-West to incite the Indians to

rise and commit war and depredations on the settlers, takes his life in
his hand, and if he appeals to me for merey he will get justice.”

That sentiment was vociferously cheered by hon. gentle-
men on the other side of the House. I agree with that
sentiment. It commends itself to my judgment; but I tell.
the Minister of Justice that if he is disposed to mete out
merited justice to those who, by their misconduct, by their
maladministration, by their incompetency and by their crim-
inal neglect, provoked the Indian uprising, the hon. gentle-
man will sit alone upon the Treasury benches. There is
nothing that hon, gentlemen so much fear as justice,
that justice they will receive at the hands of tho

eople of this country, if not at the hands of this

arliament. Sir, believing, as I honestly do, that the
administration of Indian Affairs in the North-West Terri-
tories has been harsh and cruel; believing, as I honestly
do, that many of the officials appointed by this Government
to administer Indian affairs are not only unfit for their
position, but are men of bad character, and of worse
morals; believing, as I honestly do, that the Indians have
been robbed for years in the interest of the officials
of this Government and the middlemen; believing, as [ do,
that the Government have, year after year, persistently
refrained from investigating the complaints made by the
Indians, and submitted to them by their own agents in the
North-West Territory, and have kept incompetent and im-
moral men in the public service for a long series of years ;
believing that the Indians have been persistently robbed,
cheated and swindled, and in many cases frozen and starved

to death; believing, as [ do, that the recent uprising of the

Indians was the direct result of the maladministration and the
incompetency of this Administration ; that, in fact, the whole
policy and the whole conduct of this Government, in the
administration of Indian affairs in the North-West Terri-
tories, has proved disastrous in the past and is fraught with
danger in the future, I beg to move the following amend-
ment :—

That all the words after the word ‘‘that’’ be left out, and the follow«
ing inserted instead thereof :—‘‘ the administration of Indian Affairs in
Manitoba and the North-West Territories under the preseat Government
has been characterised by extravagance, mismanagement, incapacity
and culpable neglect.”

_ teach eter mR EEN et OTTERS AME MAE nt tht rina Te tet AOC AE TIRE eR ER NRT A AOE IIT NTE

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